Is It Really Worth It?
By Bennie P. Blount

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 2 Corinthians 4:17

I think Charles Dickens said it best in 'A Tale of Two Cities' when he wrote:

IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...

You and I are living in the best of times, and yet it is the worst of times. We are living in the day that the Old and New Testament writers warned us about. This is the day the Apostle Paul told us would come, the last days before the coming of Jesus Christ to take His Church to Heaven. This is the day of the luke-warm Laodicean Church that the Apostle John wrote about in the Revelation he received from Jesus Christ. This is the day when Satan is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. This is the day when men are lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. In short, the end of this age is rapidly approaching and all the powers of darkness are scrambling to get in their last licks before God once more takes sovereign control of His creation.

We are not in the Great Tribulation period, although we are experiencing some tribulation and persecution. The Great Tribulation period is reserved, not for the Church, but for a world that has rejected Jesus as the Messiah. This is, indeed, a troublesome time to be alive.

But, on the other hand, this is the best time in the history of the world to be alive. Prophecy is being fulfilled all around us. Almost on a daily basis we see the Word of God, that speaks of the turmoil of the last days, coming to pass. As the world gets darker the Word gets brighter. Things that some thought would remain hidden are being revealed by the light of the Gospel. The light of God is exposing the works of darkness in these last days. It’s a great day, for the child of God, to be alive.

I believe that the time of our birth is not an accident with God. He told Jeremiah that He knew him before he was born. I think it is the same for you and me. I think we have “come into the kingdom for such a time as this.” History has yet to record the names of men and women alive today who will become the Abrahams, the Davids, and the Pauls of God’s outpouring in these last days. One thing is certain, God has a purpose in causing us to be born at this time in human history.

Most of us can get discouraged from all the terrible things that are going on in our families, in the Church, and in the world. Discouragement is a tactic of the enemy to keep us from serving the Lord and getting the Gospel message to the world. But we must remember the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17 and realize that there have always been times of fear and discouragement for Christians.

Given all the problems in the world today, is it really worth it to be alive at this time in history? I think it is well worth it. We have more opportunity and are better equipped to spread the Gospel message than any generation before us. You are probably reading this on a computer, tablet, or phone. As I am typing this blog it is automatically saving a draft copy every few seconds.  Anybody with a computer or cell phone can read this anywhere in the world just moments after I post it to my website.

With our rapid communications system today we can, almost instantly, reach more people with the Gospel message than all the generations before us. Yes, it is really worth it to be alive at this time in history. Sure, there seems to be more problems today than ever before, but the Bible promises us that these “light affictions” are only temporary and they are producing something much more valuable for us:

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:17 New Living Translation

(This was originally written in 2009)